The brother of the Muslim preacher Turkey says masterminded an attempted coup in 2016 was jailed on Monday for membership of a terrorist organisation.
Kutbettin Gulen was sentenced to 10-and-a-half years for belonging to the group led by his elder brother Fethullah, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported.
He has been held in prison since his arrest in October 2016 in the western coastal city of Izmir.
Fethullah Gulen, 77, who has lived in the US since 1999, leads a global movement that claims to promote religious dialogue and consists of hundreds of schools and businesses. Ankara says the group has used its wealth and influence to place followers in the Turkish state apparatus, particularly the police and justice system, in a bid to wrestle power from President Recept Tayyip Erdogan.
During the early years of Mr Erdogan’s rule, the movement’s supporters in the judiciary collaborated with the governing Justice and Development Party (AKP) against Turkey’s military – a bastion of secularism – in a series of trials.
But in 2012, cracks began to appear in the alliance and a year later Gulenist prosecutors launched a corruption investigation that targeted members of Mr Erdogan’s inner circle.
On July 15, 2016, military officers the state says were loyal to Mr Gulen launched a coup attempt that led to the deaths of around 250 people as soldiers and helicopters opened fire on crowds as they flocked to the streets to resist the takeover.
Mr Gulen has denied any role in staging the failed putsch, which was followed by waves of arrests and the dismissal of thousands of alleged Gulenists in the military, police, judiciary and civil service. According to the Turkey Purge website, which uses official sources to compile figures on the crackdown, more than 170,000 were dismissed from their jobs and over 220,000 detained.
Kutbettin Gulen was arrested at a relative’s home in Izmir’s Gaziemir neighbourhood on October 2, 2016, by police acting on a tip-off that he had recently returned to Turkey.
He is one of six siblings. Apart from Fethullah Gulen, who lives in Pennsylvania, the location of his other brothers and sisters are unknown.
Ankara has long sought the extradition of the former imam and the US’s refusal to hand him over is one of the main reasons for the breakdown in US-Turkey relations since the failed coup.
According to the prosecution at Izmir’s 14th High Criminal Court, Kutbettin Gulen, who followed proceedings via video link from Denizli prison, was a member of an “armed terrorist organisation” known as the Fethullahist Terrorist Organisation.
The court heard that he was involved in transferring funds to Bank Asya, which was closed down a week after the attempted coup over its links to the Gulen movement. He was also accused of holding an executive position at a printing subsidiary of Kaynak Holding, which was seized by the government in November 2015 for Gulenist ties.
Kutbettin Gulen denied the charge and claimed he was only being prosecuted because of his family ties.
More on Quran memorisation:
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Anxiety and work stress major factors
Anxiety, work stress and social isolation are all factors in the recogised rise in mental health problems.
A study UAE Ministry of Health researchers published in the summer also cited struggles with weight and illnesses as major contributors.
Its authors analysed a dozen separate UAE studies between 2007 and 2017. Prevalence was often higher in university students, women and in people on low incomes.
One showed 28 per cent of female students at a Dubai university reported symptoms linked to depression. Another in Al Ain found 22.2 per cent of students had depressive symptoms - five times the global average.
It said the country has made strides to address mental health problems but said: “Our review highlights the overall prevalence of depressive symptoms and depression, which may long have been overlooked."
Prof Samir Al Adawi, of the department of behavioural medicine at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman, who was not involved in the study but is a recognised expert in the Gulf, said how mental health is discussed varies significantly between cultures and nationalities.
“The problem we have in the Gulf is the cross-cultural differences and how people articulate emotional distress," said Prof Al Adawi.
“Someone will say that I have physical complaints rather than emotional complaints. This is the major problem with any discussion around depression."
Daniel Bardsley
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
Five%20calorie-packed%20Ramadan%20drinks
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERooh%20Afza%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E100ml%20contains%20414%20calories%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETang%20orange%20drink%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E100ml%20serving%20contains%20300%20calories%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECarob%20beverage%20mix%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E100ml%20serving%20contains%20about%20300%20calories%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EQamar%20Al%20Din%20apricot%20drink%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E100ml%20saving%20contains%2061%20calories%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EVimto%20fruit%20squash%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E100ml%20serving%20contains%2030%20calories%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Defined benefit and defined contribution schemes explained
Defined Benefit Plan (DB)
A defined benefit plan is where the benefit is defined by a formula, typically length of service to and salary at date of leaving.
Defined Contribution Plan (DC)
A defined contribution plan is where the benefit depends on the amount of money put into the plan for an employee, and how much investment return is earned on those contributions.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
More on animal trafficking
Kill%20Bill%20Volume%201
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20Quentin%20Tarantino%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20Uma%20Thurman%2C%20David%20Carradine%20and%20Michael%20Madsen%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%204.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
